2010 Annual Meeting:
Why Atlanta?

It’s not too early to begin planning your participation in the next ASA Annual Meeting, August 14-17, 2010, in Atlanta, GA. After a number of northeast and northwest meeting locations, ASA is pleased to return to the South for the next Annual Meeting.

Prime Lodging and Meeting Room Space

Atlanta is one of the easiest continental US cities to visit, with Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport serving as the hub for Delta and AirTran Airlines and featuring service by most major carriers. With 80% of the U.S. population within a two-hour flight, Atlanta is one of the most accessible destinations in the country. Access to ASA hotels from the airport is easy with a MARTA (subway) station at the airport.

Both ASA host hotels have recently undergone massive renovations of their guest rooms and meeting space. Meeting attendees will appreciate the ease of getting between the two properties thanks to a newly built air-conditioned skybridge connecting the two hotels.

Pedestrian skybridge at the
Atlanta Hilton
connecting
the Atlanta Hilton
and the Atlanta Marriott Marquis

Guestrooms at both properties offer comfortable accommodations and various amenities. There is a full compliment of ADA accessible guestrooms available at the properties.

Both properties offer various options for a quick coffee and spaces to sit and catch up with colleagues. The ASA and the hotels are working to provide comfortable and convenient lounge spaces for networking. Housing registration will open on the ASA website in February. Hotel rates at both properties are $179/night* for single and double bed rooms. Special Promotion: the first 100 reservations at the Marriott Marquis will receive a special rate of $159/night*. *Taxes and fees not included.

What Atlanta Offers Visitors

Atlanta is an exciting destination with world-class restaurants, a festive nightlife, several major league sports teams, and an abundance of cultural attractions.

From historic to modern, visitors can enjoy art, performances, and educational opportunities throughout the city. Neighborhoods around Atlanta house several museums, galleries, and theaters, many with chef-owned restaurants or eateries that make a night on the town complete.

Vibrant Downtown Activities

The phoenix rising from the ashes might be Atlanta’s official bird but the construction crane is most frequent in the city. Downtown Atlanta has experienced a boom of mixed-use space with residents who live, work, and play in the area. The expansion of the downtown area also offers a variety of activities for meeting attendees looking to get out and explore.

Head to the NEW World of Coca-Cola at Pemberton Place in downtown Atlanta, where you can explore the past, present, and future of the world’s best-known brand. See a 4-D movie experience, a fully operational bottling line and sample more than 70 Coca-Cola products from around the world.

At the Inside CNN Atlanta Tour, watch behind-the-scenes action of the newsroom, see what it takes to put a news broadcast together, and learn how the weather map works.

Atlantic Station is one of Atlanta’s hottest spots for shopping, restaurants, and nightlife. Part of a 138-acre mixed-use community, retailers range from high-fashion boutiques to discounters that include Dillard’s, Banana Republic, American Eagle Outfitters, City Sports, Express/Express Men, Guess?, IKEA, DSW Shoes, a two-story H&M clothing store, and much more.

The Buford Highway area houses numerous shops and restaurants featuring goods and culinary delights from both Latin-American and Asian countries. A growing Indian community resides in Decatur with groceries, sari shops, and restaurants along Church Street, Lawrenceville Highway, and DeKalb Industrial Boulevard.

Castleberry Hill is an in-town, urban neighborhood very close to Downtown. Renovated warehouses now stand as residential lofts, galleries, and dining destinations. While you are there, be sure to check out the Marcia Wood Gallery, Wertz Contemporary Gallery, and No Mas! Cantina, which is an attractive retreat with gardens on the outside and furnished with beautiful carved wood tables and chairs from the adjacent No Mas! Hacienda.

The regional spotlight subcommittee, chaired by Lesley Reid (Georgia State University) and Cheryl Leggon (Georgia Institute of Technology), is developing an intellectually stimulating and vibrant roster of sessions, tours, and dining guide for the Annual Meeting. Be sure to read the series of articles in Footnotes over the next several months, which highlight this important region. Whether you are attending in order to see your friends and colleagues, renew your networks, or see Atlanta, be sure to plan now to visit Atlanta for the next Annual Meeting.

ASA Night at the Aquarium

The world’s largest aquarium, the Georgia Aquarium is home to more than 100,000 animals of 500 different species with five galleries depicting different habitats. Saying hello to the beluga whales, penguins, and whale sharks, the largest fish on the planet, will plunge you into a one-of-a-kind aquatic experience.

The Georgia Aquarium has offered to host a special private opening to meeting attendees during the evening on Sunday, August 15. This opening is contingent on adequate registration numbers for the event.

Meeting attendees would be offered a discounted ticket price. Reservations would be made directly with the Aquarium through a portal on the ASA website.

In order to pursue this opportunity, we need to hear from you! In January, those who have registered for the 2009 Annual Meeting will receive an invitation to complete a brief survey about the event. If there is sufficient interest, the ASA will commence with securing the private opening.

Notable Dining

For a true in-town experience, try The Peasant Bistro. Here you dine in a cosmopolitan, dramatic two-story restaurant that overlooks Centennial Park and the Atlanta skyline. Featuring fresh, seasonal cuisine, the menu consists of delicious, traditional bistro favorites with French and Mediterranean influences.

On the west side of town, Atlanta entrepreneur Lorenzo Wyche, founder of hot nightspot Harlem Bar, recently opened a breakfast and lunch eatery. The Social House, serving creative takes on Southern standards such as fried tomato crepes and New Orleans Savory Bread Pudding with eggs, all set to a jazz soundtrack.

Sporting Events

Springtime in Atlanta means the start of baseball season, and an Atlanta Braves game at Turner Field. Come early to Turner Field, where you can either bring in your own picnic or have your pick of ballpark eats that include the Georgia Dog, a Braves original.